Spock style shirt at Soldier Systems

You’ve got to see this to believe it: A camouflage pattern featuring Leonard Nimoy’s (Mr Spock) face.

I won’t spoil the fun by telling you why such a thing was created – get on over to Soldier Systems and find out for yourself!

Hyde Definition PenCott on Strike – Hold!

Following Hyde Definition’s recent website remake and PenCott pattern production announcement, the good folks at Strike – Hold! have kindly put the word out. More here.

Ivan has designs on neighbour’s camo

A couple of blogs have been commenting on a minor diplomatic intrigue playing out between the Soviets Russians and the Finns.

The New York Times ran a story last week that quoted a spokesman for the Defense Staff of Finland, who claimed photos taken during the recent Georgian conflict seemed to show special forces of the Russian Interior Ministry wearing a dead ringer for Finland’s new, state of the art, ‘digital’ M/05 camouflage pattern. The Russians flatly denied it (in fact they went further, and heaped scorn and derision on the notion that they might need to copy anyone elses camo, having “hundreds” of their own patterns). However, camouflage experts have seen several examples over the years of Russian copycat camouflage designs. Designs that look just like those worn by British, American or German soldiers, and which, according to some, were developed for use by Spetznaz (special forces) commandos during the Cold War, to allow them to operate behind enemy lines.

Finnish digital camouflage uniform

Finland’s M/05 design has EU protection and that fact, plus the country’s 1340 kilometre border with Russia, makes it understandably upset about the possibility that it’s neighbour might turn up to a party wearing the same outfit.

Read more at Soldier Systems and Strike – Hold!

tiger striped lotus

This is the Lotus Elise Tiger. Yeah, it’s old, but I like it. And it’s camo… of a kind.

Grrrrrr!

Thanks to Strange Vehicles for the pic, and to allfastcars.com for the ones below:

animal camouflage

Buck Denton has some great photos of camouflaged critters over at his Can You See Me blog. I’ve already highlighted the effectiveness of the flounder’s colouration on my own page about the science behind PenCott™, but these pics below show the versatility of the animal’s chameleon-like colour changing ability.

Stone Flounder

Have a look on his site and see if you can spot all 15 sparrows on the ground in one of the photos.

how accurate is your colour vision?

Test your colour IQ

You will have fun with this neat little game. Simply arrange rows of coloured tiles in order, grading from one hue to another – at the end you submit your result for a score between 0 and 99, where zero is perfect. I got 8, and my eyes are old and bent. Be warned, though – staring at the small squares of colour for a time, under an artificial light source, at the end of a long day that finishes a long week, can physically hurt!

http://www.xrite.com/custom_page.aspx?PageID=77

British Army unveils new equipment for infantrymen

From the Mail Online

By Matthew Hickley

Last updated at 2:29 AM on 19th September 2008

Equipment of the future: The British Army has unveiled the new kit which will go into service in months

He’s deadlier, lighter, more streamlined and better protected – and he’s wearing the latest stylish four-colour camouflage pattern with matching two-tone Union Jack insignia and coral sunglasses.

The British Army has unveiled its latest state-of-the-art equipment for combat infantrymen, which will enter service with troops fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq within months.

Out goes the familiar and distinctive ‘pudding bowl’ shaped helmet worn by Britain’s soldiers for 20 years, and in comes a new shape more akin to today’s U.S. Army helmet, or the Second World War German design – offering improved neck movement and more space to fit a rifle sight to the eye.

The new colour scheme has nothing to do with fashion and everything to do with new high-tech fabric dyes which maintain camouflage properties when viewed through infra-red night sights, and combine traditional desert colours with pale green shades – suited to the semi-desert environments where many of today’s battles are fought.

Five years after the Daily Mail first exposed the Army’s notorious melting desert boots and shortages of basic equipment on the eve of the 2003 Iraq invasion, senior military commanders insist the situation has been transformed for the better.

The Treasury has spent £1billion a year on the ‘Urgent Operational Requirement’ programme – rushing new kit into service in Iraq and Afghanistan when existing equipment proves to be dangerously inadequate – delivering a range of new armoured vehicles, weapons and clothing.

While shortages remain, and commanders remain frustrated by the need for more protected vehicles and helicopters, frontline troops acknowledge the improvements in personal equipment.

The new infantryman’s kit is known as project PECOC – Personal Equipment Common Operating Clothing – and is in the final stages of assessment before being issued to troops deploying on combat operations.

Designers are struggling to save weight across the board, because of recent feedback from commanders in Afghanistan warning that today’s infanteer is being expected to carry too much weight, often approaching 150lb of weaponry, armour, ammunition, food and a host of gadgets – ‘like going to work carrying your wife on your back’ as one soldier described it.

In soaring summer temperatures of 50 degrees centigrade, foot patrols are having to be equipped with more quad bikes and trailers to take some of the burden, and to help evacuate wounded troops.

British Army gear through the ages: (Lto R) SA80 weapon and kit prior to 2003, the current attire and a soldier wearing a trial outfit

Major Richard Coomber of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, requirements manager for the PECOC programme, said: ‘We have scoured the world for the best materials.

There is no magic secret to saving weight. We have to get the integration of all the different items right, starting with body armour plates which are thinner but tougher, and better designed to fit with webbing, packs, and weapons.

‘We spent a lot of time talking to troops who are using the existing equipment on operations.

‘The result is a system designed to fit together, and to be as flexible as possible, so the soldier can adapt it to the job he’s doing.’

The new clothing features removable padding inserts at the knees and elbows, and new ‘coral-coloured’ ballistic eye protectors, which give better colour perception than existing sunglasses.

The distinctive black-and-green Union Flag insignia offers better camouflage in daylight, but is also clearly identifiable through night-vision goggles, helping troops recognise each other during night battles.

Weaponry is constantly being upgraded, and the SA-80A2 assault rifle – which appears finally to have shaken off its unreliable reputation – is now fitted with an underslung grenade launcher and improved sights.

At a facility to show off the new kit on Salisbury Plain today Major General Bill Moore, Director General Logistic Support and Equipment for Land Forces, told the Mail that speed was the key to the Urgent Operational Requirement system.

He said: ‘In peacetime you can afford to spend five or ten years getting the reliability of your new tank just right, but in wartime we take a bit more risk with getting new equipment into service fast.

‘I think the next big thing for us is reducing weight for infantrymen, to make them more agile.

‘If we can make electrical batteries smaller and lighter, we will make progress.

‘We want to give the guys more options as to how much heavy protection they wear, depending on the threat and the task.’

Land Rover ad campaign courts military

These eye-catching digital images by ad-agency Rees Bradley Hepburn form part of an advertising campaign commissioned by Land Rover, aimed at high ranking government and military officials.

Very slick, but the camouflage is possibly a little too similar to the CCE (Camouflaged Cheese Eater’s) pattern of the Surrender Monkey’s.

Still with me? Good. These ads are yet to appear online, so thanks to Casualty of Design for the scoop!

the curious tale of the seal in the desert

To find out more about why this photo of a US Navy special forces SEAL piqued the curiosity of military buffs and camouflage collectors worldwide, visit the Strike-Hold! special operations and elite forces blog, where all will be revealed!

Thanks to Lawrence at Strike-Hold! for the picture.

custom camo for your carbine

Ouch!

The Gundoctor really knows a thing or two about guns`n`camo: you really won`t believe the quality and effectiveness of his DuraCoat camouflage schemes. This savage looking sniper rifle is fitted with a sound suppressor, so as well as not seeing it, you won`t hear it either. I wonder if it`s named “Whispering Death” or something?